Derek Winnert

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This article was written on 24 May 2016, and is filled under Reviews.

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Strange Confession *** (1945, Lon Chaney Jr, Brenda Joyce, J Carrol Naish, Milburn Stone, Lloyd Bridges, Mary Gordon, Addison Richards) – Classic Movie Review 3768

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Director John Hoffman’s chilling 1945 low-budget horror mystery is the fifth of Universal’s six Inner Sanctum series entries, and again stars Lon Chaney Jr, this time as chemist / scientist Jeff Carter, who is working on a cure for flu and is victimised by his unscrupulous boss, pharmaceutical tycoon Roger Graham (J Carrol Naish).

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Typically, the boss takes the profit, as well as the credit, from Jeff’s work. Well, we have all been there.

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Graham does the dirty in a double whammy – he romances Jeff’s attractive wife and releases the vaccine before it is ready, resulting in the death of the scientist’s young son. Inevitably, Jeff decides to take revenge…

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Jean Bart’s and screenplay writer M Coates Webster‘s compelling and twisty story is effectively told in flashback. Also in the cast are Brenda Joyce, Milburn Stone, Lloyd Bridges, Mary Gordon, Addison Richards, George Chandler and Gregory Marshall.

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After its cinema reissue as The Missing Head, the film vanished until its video release in the Nineties. Because of a copyright dispute when it was alleged to be an unauthorised remake of 1934’s The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (about a writer and a publisher who betrays him), this film was not released to TV with the other Inner Sanctum films.

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It was quickly filmed from February 1 to February 14 1945, and released on October 5 1945.

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Universal’s six Inner Sanctum movies with Lon Chaney Jr based on the popular 1941 to 1952 radio show are: Calling Dr Death (1943), Weird Woman (1944), Dead Man’s Eyes (1944), The Frozen Ghost (1945), Strange Confession (1945) and Pillow of Death (1945).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3768

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

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